Latch



June 13, 1967 R v. FOWLER 3,325,200

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CR umb United States Patent 3,325,200 LATCH Roland V. Fowler, Rockford, Ill, assignor to Amerock Corporation, Rockford, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 357,382 10 Claims. (Cl. 292-113) This invention relates to latches particularly adapted for use in latching the doors of automatic dishwashers, ovens and similar appliances and including a bolt pivoted and guided on the latch base for swinging outwardly from a retracted position into an extended position to engage a strike, and then moving endwise inwardly to draw the door of the device into a tightly closed position. The motion of the bolt is produced by an operating lever also pivoted on the base and connected to the bolt to move the latter through its motions as the lever swings from an unlatched position into an angularly spaced latching position.

The primary object of the present invention is to reduce the arc of rotation of the operating lever necessary to move the bolt through its motions thereby simplifying the operation of the latch and reducing the length of the exit opening required for the operating lever.

Another object is to substantially reduce the total are of rotation of the operating lever without reducing the lever motion available to effect the drawing-in of the bolt and the tight sealing of the door or the amount of reach of the bolt in its extended position.

Another object is to provide a latch of the above character that is simple and compact in construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a latch embodying the novel features of the present invention with the positions of associated parts of the appliance indicated in broken lines.

FIG. 2 is a plan View of the latch.

FIG. 3 is a persepctive view of the bolt.

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with parts in moved positions and partly broken away and shown in section.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 with the parts in moved positions.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the mounting bracket of the latch.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary view similar to FIG. 4 showing an alternate form of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 with the parts in moved positions.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the bolt of the latch in FIGS. 7 and 8.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing another alternate form of the invention.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are fragmentary views similar to a portion of FIG. 10 with the parts in moved positions.

As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the invention is embodied in a latch 10 mountable on a supporting element such as a frame strip 11 (FIG. 1) extending along one side of the door opening 12 in an automatic dishwasher or an oven 13 and including a bolt 14 selectively engageable with a strike 15 on the door 17, when the latter is closed, and operable to hold the door tightly closed. In such latches, an operating lever 18 is pivoted on the latch base, which herein is a mounting bracket 19, and the bolt 14 is pivoted and guided on the bracket and movably connected to the operating lever so that swinging of the latter in one direction first rotates the bolt from a retracted position (FIG. 4) into an outwardly projecting extended position (FIG. 5) in which 3,325,200 Patented June 13, 1967 ice the outer end 20 of the bolt is disposed beyond and in alinement with the strike, and then draws the bolt endwise inwardly to draw the strike and the door inwardly.

As shown herein, the mounting bracket 19 is generally U-shaped sheet metal stamping disposed in a horizontal position beneath the top wall 21 (FIG. 1) of the appliance and having vertically spaced legs 22 and 23 projecting outwardly toward the door opening. The lower leg 22 is substantially longer than the upper leg 23 and is formed with an upturned flange 24 along its outer end which lies against and is suitably fastened to the inner side of the frame strip 11. The operating lever 18 comprises an elongated handle 25 fastened at its inner end by rivets 27 to the upper leg 28 of a U-shaped plate 29' disposed between the legs of the mounting bracket and pivoted thereon by two rivets 30 defining a vertical axis 31 (FIG. 1) about which the lever swings. The handle projects outwardly through an elongated slot 32 above the frame strip and a knob 33 is mounted on the outer end of the handle to facilitate gripping of the handle during swinging of the lever. In this instance, the lever swings counterclockwise (FIGS. 2 and 4) from an unlatching position shown in FIG. 4 to the latching position shown in FIG. 2.

The bolt 14 also is a sheet metal stamping which is pivoted on the mounting bracket 19 adjacent the inner end portion of the operating lever and projects outwardly through a slot 34 (FIG. 6) in the flange 24 of the mounting bracket. One side edge of the outer end portion of the bolt is notched at 35 to form a hook end 20 which is disposed inside the bracket flange when the bolt is retracted and is spaced outwardly from the strike 15 in the extended position (see FIG. 5). As the handle swings toward its latching position, its swinging motion is imparted to the bolt and the latter is guided through a corresponding arc into the extended position and then endwise inwardly into its latched position by coacting guide elements 37 and 38 on the bolt and the bracket.

The present invention contemplates a new and improved latch 10 of compact and relatively simple construction in which the arc of rotation of the operating lever 18 required to move the bolt 14 from its retracted position to its extended position is greatly reduced, as compared to prior latches of this general character and, at the same time, in which the amount of outward projection, or reach, of the bolt may be increased. Thus, the total are of travel required for the handle 25 and the resultant length of the exit slot 32 may be reduced to improve the appearance and simplify the operation of the latch in service use, and the increased reach of the bolt insures that the bolt will engage the strike. Moreover, the amount of handle motion available to produce the drawing-in motion of the bolt is maintained or even increased so that a tight seal of the door is obtained with a minimum of effort.

To achieve the foregoing ends, the bolt 14 is pivoted on the mounting bracket 19 for swinging about a second axis 39 (FIG. l) spaced from the lever axis 31, and the angular motion of the operating lever 18 is transmitted to the bolt in a novel manner such that the bolt swings about its axis at an angular velocity greater than the angular velocity of the operating lever about its axis. The bolt swings from its retracted position into its extended position, herein through an are on the order of seventy degrees, while the operating lever swings through a substantially smaller arc, for example, approximately twenty degrees. Thus, even when a forty degree lever motion is desired to effect the drawing-in of the bolt, the total lever arc is only sixty degrees and this is only a small fraction of the arc formerly required for comparable bolt movements.

In this instance, the bolt 14 is pivoted intermediate its ends on a rivet 40 the shank of which forms a pivot pin extending vertically through an elongated longitudinal slot 41 in thebolt and through an alined hole 36 (FIG. 6) in the bracket leg 22 spaced outwardly from the lever axis 31. Thus, the rivet mounts the bolt both for pivotal movement about the axis 39 and for endwise sliding movement as permitted by the slot 41. The elements for guiding the bolt through its motions herein take the form of a pin 37 fast on the underside of the inner end portion of the bolt and projecting downwardly into a guide slot 38 in the bracket leg 22 beneath the bolt. One end portion 42 of the slot preferably is arcuately curved to follow the arcuate path of the guide pin during the outward swinging of the bolt, and the other end portion 43 is straight and extends inwardly toward the lever axis 31 to guide the pin, and thus the bolt, inwardly as the lever completes its arc.

With the bolt 14 and the operating lever 18 pivoted on the bracket 19 for swinging about spaced parallel axes 31 and 39, an increased angular velocity of the bolt may be obtained in various ways. In the preferred form shown in FIGS. 1 through 6, the movable connection between the bolt and the lever is formed by coacting cam and follower elements herein comprising a follower pin 44 fast on the bolt at a point spaced inwardly from the bolt axis 39 and projecting upwardly into a cam slot 45 in the lower leg 47 of the lever plate 29 overlying the inner end portion of the bolt. The cam slot is formed in the leg 47 in a position such that the follower pin 44 is spaced a greater distance from the lever axis 31 than from the bolt axis 39 during swinging motion of the bolt so that movement of the pin at a given angular velocity by the cam slot about the lever axis moves the pin at a greater angular velocity about the bolt axis, the difference in the angular velocity at any given point along the path of the pin being determined by the difference in the spacing of the pin from the two axes. It will be evident that the shape of the cam slot also may influence the velocity of the pin about the lever axis by accelerating the pin relative to the lever or by permitting the pin to lag behind the lever, depending on the direction of slope of the active portion of the slot wall. Of course, the angular velocity of the pin about the bolt axis is the same as the angular velocity of the bolt itself.

Herein, the two pins 37 and 44 are the opposite end portions of a double-ended stud, shown most clearly in FIG. 1, and thus are axially alined. The side walls of the cam slot 45 are spaced and shaped to lie closely adjacent the opposite sides of the follower pin 44 and to guide the latter along a predetermined path relative to both axes 31, 39 as the lever 18 swings counterclockwise from its unlatching position to its latching position. In the unlatching position shown in FIG. 4, one end portion 48 of the cam slot overlies the end of the arcuate portion 42 of the guide slot 38 and the two pins 37 and 44 are disposed in the alined portions of the slots. As the lever begins to swing counterclockwise from this position, the cam slot swings the follower pin to the right and inwardly around the bolt axis at an angle sufiicient to avoid friction and binding at the axis, and swings the guide pin inwardly along the guide slot thus rotating the bolt 14 clockwise about its axis.

Due to the difference in the spacing of the double-ended stud from the two axes 31, 39, twenty degrees of rotation of the operating lever 18, from the full line position to the intermediate broken line position in FIG. 4, swings the pin 44 through an arc of approximately seventy degrees about the bolt axis and thus swings the bolt through the same are to the extended position shown in FIG. 5. As the bolt approaches its extended position, the follower pin passes over a rise 49 on the sidewall of the cam slot 45 and the guide pin 37 is cammed into alinement with the straight portion 43 of the guide slot. Thus, during continued counterclockwise rotation of the lever 18 and the cam slot, between the two broken line positions shown in FIG. 5, the guide pin is pressed against the right hand side wall of the guide slot and urged inwardly along the slot by an arcuate portion 50- of the cam slot, and continues inwardly until the guide pin reaches the inner end of the guide slot and the followed pin reaches the corresponding end of the cam slot as shown in FIG. 2.

From a comparison of the relative positions of the parts in FIGS. 2 and 5, it will be seen that a substantial portion of the full arc of the operating lever 18 is utilized to cam the follower pin inwardly a relatively short distance along the straight portion of the guide slot 38 and draw the door into sealing engagement with the usual sealing gasket (not shown) provided in the door opening. Since the work done is equal to the force exerted times the distance moved, it will be apparent that the force required to compress the gasket and seal the door decreases as the lever arc increases. Accordingly, the use of an arc of substantial length to effect the drawing-in motion minimizes the force required to close and seal the door.

In the latched condition of the parts shown in FIG. 2, the follower pin 44 is disposed adjacent the left end of the slot 45 with the outer wall 48 of the slot extending across the front of the pin and forming a detent for preventing outward motion of the bolt 14 under the force exerted by the compressed sealing gasket. Preferably, the front wall of the slot is recessed at 48 to positively hold the pin. In addition, the guide pin 37 and the follower pin are longitudinally alined with the pivotal axis 39 of the bolt and also with the axis 31 of the operating lever 18. Thus, the bolt is locked mechanically in this condition against pivotal motion back toward the unlatched position as well as against outward movement.

The operating lever 18 normally is urged toward the unlatching position by a coiled spring 51 stretched between the inner end 52 of the mounting bracket 19 and a stud 53 extending between and secured to the legs of the plate 29 at a point spaced outwardly from the lever axis 31. The stud is offset to the left (FIGS. 4 and 5) from the lever axis in the unlatched position of the parts so that the spring normally urges the operating lever clockwise about the lever axis. As the lever approaches the latching position, however, the stud moves at least onto the imaginary line between the lever axis and the inner end of the spring thus neutralizing the spring force. If the stud is permitted to swing over center, that is, across the imaginary line, the spring thereafter acts to swing the lever farther counterclockwise and hold the lever in the latched position.

Herein, such counterclockwise swinging is limited by a lug 54 on the mounting bracket 19 disposed in the path of the leading side of the lever plate 29 to abut against the latter at 55 when the stud 53 is centered on the imaginary line with the spring force neutralized. The unlatched positions of the lever and the bolt are determined by the guide pin 37 which is held against the end of the arcuate portion of the guide slot by the spring 51.

In the alternate form shown in FIGS. 7 through 9, in which corresponding parts are indicated with primed reference numbers, the movable connection between the operating lever 18' and the bolt 14 is formed by a link 57 pivoted at one end on the lever plate 47' to turn relative to the plate about a vertical axis 58 defined by a rivet 59 spaced forwardly from the lever axis, and pivoted at its other end on the inner end portion of the bolt to turn about a parallel axis 60 defined by a stud 61 fitted in alined holes in the link and the inner end portion of the lever. The lower end portion of the stud projects downwardly through a guide slot 38' similar to the guide slot 38 in the preferred form.

To increase the angular velocity of the bolt 14', the axis 58 is spaced a greater distance from the lever axis than the spacing of the axis 60 from the bolt axis. Thus, as the lever is moved counterclockwise about its axis, the stud 61 is moved clockwise about the bolt axis by the link 57 which rotates the bolt outwardly at an increased angular velocity determined by the difference in the lengths of the effective lever arms, as before. Of course, the position of the link in the unlatched position is such that counterclockwise motion of the lever shifts the link in a direction to move inwardly of the bolt axis.

In the latched condition of the parts, the two link pivots 58 and 60 are alined longitudinally of the bolt 14 to lock the latter mechanically in the latched position. This form has the advantage of eliminating most of the bearing friction in the movable connection and, therefore, is somewhat smoother and freer in operation than the first form, but lacks the flexibility of programming available when a cam is used. Of course, the cam slot 45 may take various forms for variations in the motion of the bolt 14.

Another alternate form is shown in FIGS. through 12 in which similar parts are indicated by corresponding double-primed reference ,numbers. In this instance, the bolt 14" and the operating lever 18" both swing in the same direction during latching, counterclockwise as shown d herein. The basic parts are similar to the parts in the preferred form in FIGS. 1 through 6, the primary differences being the location of the cam and follower elements 45" and 44" relative to the bolt axis 39" and the shape of the cam.

In the preferred form, the motion reversal is obtained by mounting the follower pin 44 on the inner end portion of the bolt 14 so that rotation of the pin and the inner end of the bolt in the direction of lever movement swings the outer end of the bolt in the opposite direction. To

swing the outer end of the bolt 14" in the same direction as the lever 18", the follower pin 44" is spaced outwardly from the bolt axis 39".

While the shape of the cam slot 45" is considerably different, the bolt motion it produces is basically the same.

The right-hand end portion 48" of the slot, in which the follower pin 44" is disposed in the unlatched position (FIG. 10), hooks inwardly toward the lever axis 31". Thus, as the lever is swung counterclockwise from this position, the slot begins to cam the pin counterclockwise about both the lever axis and the bolt axis. Due to the greater spacing of the pin from the lever axis, however, the angular velocity of the bolt is greater than the velocity of the lever.

In this instance, the guide slot 38" in the mounting bracket 19 beneath the bolt 14" first curves outwardly at 42" and the double-ended stud moves outwardly along the cam slot 45" during the swinging motion of the bolt to the extended position shown in FIG. 11. When the bolt reaches the extended position, the follower pin 44" is positioned as shown in FIG. 11 at the sharp bend in the cam slot between the hooked end portion and the longer left end portion of the slot.

Due to the shape of the particular slot 45" chosen for purposes of illustration, it may be desirable to provide .a spring 63 for insuring that the slot maintains control of the follower pin as the lever 18" is swung on to the latching position (FIG. 12). Herein, the spring is a torsion spring coiled intermediate its ends about a lug 64 upstanding from the plate 47" with one leg 65 of the spring anchored against the inner side of a second lug 66 on the plate and the other spring leg 67 pressed against the left side of the follower pin. Thus, as the lever swings to the right and begins the drawing-in of the bolt 14 the spring continuously but yieldably presses the pin in the same direction to prevent it from moving idly in the cam slot.

During continued rotation of the lever 18 after the bolt 14" reaches its extended position, the follower pin 44 and the bolt are cammed inwardly to draw the outer end of the bolt into engagement with the strike 15" and pull the latter toward the mounting bracket 19". The guide pin (not shown) formed by the lower end portion of the double-ended stud then moves inwardly along the straight portion 43 of the guide slot 38" and the bolt slides inwardly along the pivot pin as permitted by 6 the slot 41 in the bolt until the bolt reaches the latched position.

When the follower pin 44" is well into the left portion of the cam slot 45", it passes a bend 68 in the spring leg 67 and thereafter is urged inwardly and to the left by the free end portion of the spring leg which is inclined outwardly to the left. Thus, the force of the spring, which is fully stressed in this condition, acts to swing the lever 18" farther counterclockwise rather than clockwise and back toward the unlatched position.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the arcs of rotation of the operating levers of the three forms of the latch shown herein for purposes of illustration have been substantially reduced, as compared to prior latches of this type, without sacrificing any of the bolt motion or reducing the amount of lever motion available for drawing-in of the bolt. This is accomplished in a latch that is relatively simple and compact in construction by separating the pivots for the bolt and the latch and providing a movable connection between the lever and the bolt for transmitting the lever motion to the bolt in a novel manner such that the bolt velocity is different from the velocity of the lever. Moreover, the latch locks itself mechanically in the latched position independently of any springs.

I claim as my invention:

1. A latch comprising a base, an operating lever pivotally connected to said base for swinging back and forth about a first axis between angularly spaced unlatching, intermediate and latching positions, an elongated bolt having a longitudinal slot intermediate its ends, a pin projecting through said slot and mounting said bolt on said base to turn about a second axis toward and away from an extended position in which the bolt projects outwardly for engagement with a strike, said pin and said slot also supporting said bolt for longitudinal sliding from said extended position inwardly to a latched position, said second axis being spaced from said first axis, and means acting between said base, said lever and said bolt to swing the bolt with an angular velocity at least twice the velocity of the lever into said extended position as the lever swings from said unlatching position to said intermediate position and to shift the bolt to said latched position as the lever swings from said intermediate position to said latching position.

2. In a latch, the combination of, a base, an operating lever pivoted adjacent its inner and on said base for back and forth swinging about a first axis and disposed in an outwardly projecting unlatching position over said base, an elongated bolt disposed between said lever and said base and having a longitudinal slot intermediate its ends, a pivot pin parallel to said first axis extending through said slot and secured to said base to define a second axis spaced outwardly from said first axis, said bolt being disposed in an outwardly projecting retracted position angularly spaced from said lever, and said lever having a portion overlying the inner end portion of said bolt and formed with a cam slot, a follower pin mounted on said inner end portion and projecting into said slot, a guide pin coaxial with said follower pin and projecting in the opposite direction from said bolt, and means defining a guide slot in said base receiving said guide pin, said guide slot having an arcuate portion and an inwardly extending portion, and said cam slot being shaped to coact with said follower pin during swinging of said lever in one direction to a latching position from said unlatching position first to urge said guide pin along said guide slot and swing said bolt in the opposite direction from said retracted position to an angularly spaced extended position and then to draw said bolt end'wise inwardly along said pivot pin toa latched position, and said follower pin being spaced, during swinging of said bolt, a substantially greater distance from said first axis than from said second axis whereby the angular velocity of said bolt is substantially greater than that of said lever.

"3. A latch as defined in claim 2 further including an extenison spring connected at its inner end to said base and at its outer end to said lever at a point such that the longitudinal axis of the spring normally is offset to one side of said first axis and moves over the latter as the lever swings into said latching position thereby to neutralize the spring force.

4. A latch as defined in claim 3 further including opposed abutments on said lever and said base engageable with each other to prevent further swinging of the lever in said one direction after said spring force is neutralized.

5. In a latch, the combination of, a base, an operating lever pivoted on said base for back and forth swinging about a first axis between angularly spaced latching and unlatching positions, an elongated bolt, means mounting said bolt on said base for back and forth swinging between angularly spaced retracted and extended positions about a second axis spaced from and paralleling said first axis and for endwise sliding movement from said extended position into a latched position, means on said base guiding said bolt for back and forth movement along a preselected path from said retracted position through said extended position to said latched position, and a link pivoted at one end on said lever to swing about a parallel third axis spaced from said first axis and pivoted at its other end on said bolt to swing about a parallel fourth axis spaced from said second axis, said link generally paralleling the direction of swinging of said lever as the latter begins to swing from said unlatching position to said latching position to move said bolt from said retracted position to said extended position and then into said latched position as the lever swings from said unlatching position to said latching position, and said third axis being spaced a distance from said first axis at least twice the distance of said fourth axis from said second axis whereby the angular velocity of the bolt during swinging of the latter is correspondingly greater than the angular velocity of the lever.

6. In a latch, the combination of, a base, an operating lever pivoted adjacent its inner end on said base for back and forth swinging about a first axis and disposed in an outwardly projecting unlatching position over said base, an elongated bolt disposed between said lever and said base and having a longitudinal slot adjacent its inner end, a pivot pin parallel to said first axis extending through said slot and secured to said base to define a second axis spaced outwardly from said first axis, said bolt being disposed in a retracted position with a portion of said lever overlying the outer end portion of said bolt and formed with a cam slot, a follower pin mounted on said outer end portion and projecting into said slot, a guide pin coaxial with said follower pin and projecting in the opposite direction from said bolt, and means defining a guide slot in said base receiving said guide pin, said guide slot having an arcuate portion for guiding said guide pin along an are generally concentrc with said second axis and a portion extending inwardly along said base, and said cam sl-ot being shaped to coact with said follower pin during swinging of said lever in one direction to a latching position from said unlatching position to urge said guide pin along said slot and thereby to swing said bolt in the same direction from said retracted position to an angularly spaced extended position, and then to move said bolt endwise inwardly along said pivot pin to a latched position, and said follower pin being spaced, during swinging of said bolt, a greater distance from said first axis than from said second axis whereby the angular velocity of said bolt in swinging to said extended position is greater than that of said lever.

7. -In a latch, the combination of, a base, an operating lever pivoted on said base for back and forth swinging about a first axis between angularly spaced latching and unlatching positions, an elongated bolt, means mounting said bolt on said base both for back and forth swinging between angularly spaced retracted and extended positions about a second axis spaced from and paralleling said first axis and for endwise sliding movement from said extended position into a latched position, said lever including a portion spaced from said first axis and overlying said bolt in all of said positions, means on said base guiding said bolt for back and forth rotation about said second axis between said retracted position and said extended position and for in and out sliding between said extended position and said latched position, and coacting cam and follower means on said bolt and said lever portion operable during swinging of said lever from said unlatching position to said latching position to cooperate with said guiding means first to rotate said bolt to said extended position and then shift the bolt endwise into said latched position, the active portions of said cam and follower means being spaced, during swinging of said bolt, a distance from said first axis at least twice the distance from said second axis whereby said bolt swings at a correspondingly greater angular velocity than that of the lever.

8. In combination with an appliance cabinet having a front wall formed with an access opening, .a door for closing said opening, and a strike on said door for use in latching the door in a closed position against said cabinet, the improvement comprising a latch having a base mounted within said cabinet adjacent one side of said door, an operating lever having inner and outer ends and pivoted on said base adjacent said inner end with the outer end portion extending outwardly through said front wall, said lever being swingable about a first axis between angularly spaced unlatching and latching positions, an elongated bolt having an outer end engageable with said strike to latch said door, means intermediate the ends of said bolt mounting the latter on said base for swinging about a second axis spaced outwardly from said first axis and also for limited endwise sliding movement relative to said base, said bolt being disposed in a preselected retracted position with said outer end beside said front wall, and being swingable from said retracted position into an extended position with said outer end spaced outwardly from said wall to engage said strike, a follower on said bolt spaced from said mounting means, a cam surface on said base having a first arcuately curved portion for engaging said follower and swinging said bolt from said retracted position to said extended position as the follower moves in one direction along said curved portion, and also having a second inwardly extending portion for guiding said follower and said bolt inwardly from said extended position, and connecting means acting between said lever and said bolt at a substantially greater distance from said first axis than from said second axis as the lever swings from said unlatching position toward said latching position and operable first to swing the bolt from said retracted position to said extended position at an angular velocity substantially greater than the velocity of said lever, and then to draw the bolt inwardly along said base during the remaining swinging of said lever.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 in which said lever and said bolt are angularly spaced apart in said unlatching an-d retracted positions and said connecting means act between the inner end portion of said bolt and a portion of said lever at a point spaced outwardly from said first axis to push said inner end portion in the same direction as the movement of said lever thereby to swing the outer end of the bolt oppositely and toward said unlatching position. 7

10. The combination defined in claim 9 in which said connecting means comprise a link pivoted at one end on said lever portion a preselected distance from said first axis and pivoted at the other end on said inner end portion of said bolt a substantially shorter distance from said second axis, said link initially extending endwise from the lever in the direction of movement of the lever to push said inner end portion in the said same direction and urge said follower along said first cam portion to swing said bolt outwardly at the greater velocity, and then pivoting 9 10 inwardly relative to Said lever to push said follower in- 3,019,043 1/1962 Woodworth et a1. 2921-13 wardly along said second cam portion and effect the draw- 3,125,365 3/ 1964 'Eigelbach 2927 ing-in of said bolt. 3,189,375 -6/ 1965 Getrnan 292-111 References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS UNITED STATES PATENTS 607,548 8/1960 Italy 510,686 12/1893 Hood 292111 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

1,569,120 1/1926 Glover 292-111 2,894,777 7/1959 Hogan 292 113 7 RICHARD MOORE Examm 2,961,262 11/1960 Nockels 292-113 39 J. R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A LATCH COMPRISING A BASE, AN OPERATING LEVER PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID BASE FOR SWINGING BACK AND FORTH ABOUT A FIRST AXIS BETWEEN ANGULARLY SPACED UNLATCHING, INTERMEDIATE AND LATCHING POSITIONS, AN ELONGATED BOLT HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT INTERMEDIATE ITS ENDS, AN PIN PROJECTING THROUGH SAID SLOT AND MOUNTING SAID BOLT ON SAID BASE TO TURN ABOUT A SECOND AXIS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM AN EXTENDED POSITION IN WHICH THE BOLT PROJECTS OUTWARDLY FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH A STRIKE, SAID PIN AND SAID SLOT ALSO SUPPORTING SAID BOLT FOR LONGITUDINAL SLIDING FROM SAID EXTENDED POSITION INWARDLY TO A LATCHED POSITION, SAID SECOND AXIS BEING SPACED FROM SAID FIRST AXIS, AND MEANS ACTING BETWEEN SAID BASE, SAID LEVER AND SAID BOLT TO SWING THE BOLT WITH AN ANGULAR VELOCITY AT LEAST TWICE THE VELOCITY OF THE LEVER INTO SAID EXTENDED POSITION AS THE LEVER SWINGS FROM SAID UNLATCHING POSITION TO SAID INTERMEDIATE POSITION AND TO SHIFT THE BOLT TO SAID LATCHED POSITION AS THE LEVER SWINGS FROM SAID INTERMEDIATE POSITION TO SAID LATCHING POSITION. 